Episoder

  • 1:56 - Putting the Book Into Context

    Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

    Published Sept. 28, 2010 by Minotaur Books

    4.36 rating on Goodreads

    Seasonal setting - Winter

    Book Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel in 2011, The Agatha Award, The New Blood Dagger Award, The Arthur Ellis Award, The Barry Award, and the Dilys Award

    Critic Reviews

    Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

    7:20 - The Setup

    16:22 - A Deeper Exploration

    Setup and first paragraph

    The pacing of the novel

    The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

    Quebec vs American History

    Anglophone vs. Francophone history and culture

    Themes: “bury your dead”, “with time”

    P.345 - Not everything buried is actually dead.

    The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

    One bit of lightness in the entire novel

    Location, Location, Location

    Relationship between Beauvoir and Ruth Zardo

    Who leaked the video?

    Enneagram Corner

    The Ending

    1:14:36 - Superlatives

    Favorite Scene

    Character MVP

    Biggest loser

    Best food description

    Favorite Quote

    No spoilers this episode!

    The next book will be A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

  • We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.

    As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.

    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

    3:45 - Putting the Book Into Context

    The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

    Published Sept. 29, 2009 by Minotaur Books

    4.20 rating on Goodreads

    Seasonal setting - Autum

    Book Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel in 2010

    Critic Reviews

    Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

    Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

    10:50 - The Setup

    16:22 - A Deeper Exploration

    Setup and first paragraph

    First paragraph hooks the reader so completely

    Reminds Meredith of the Vera series by Ann Cleeves

    The pacing of the novel

    The deliberate pulling away from the “quaint village mystery”

    Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

    Quality of writing itself - if it could be written as a whole series in today’s publishing

    Themes: human behavior, conscience, Thoreau’s Walden, contentment, fathers

    p.172 quote about conscience

    p. 298 quote about happiness

    p.175 quote about Walden

    P. 495 quote about fear and contentment

    The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

    Side plot with Jean-Guy and the notes left by Ruth Zardo

    The Oddness Factor (is usually in superlatives but gets talked about early in this episode!)

    The Ending

    1:15:31 - Superlatives

    Biggest Flaw

    Character MVP

    p. 403

    Favorite Character

    Biggest loser

    Best food description

    Fear Factor

    1:29:47 - Within the Series

    Is this book skippable?

    Favorite Quote (gets asked after the skippable portion so I added it here for time stamp sake)

    1:34:08 - SPOILERS AHEAD HERE

    Next episode’s read: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March’s IPL is brought to you by our anchor store, An Unlikely Story.

    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Roxanna | Kaytee

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

  • Manglende episoder?

    Klik her for at forny feed.

  • We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.

    As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.

    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

    2:40 - Putting the Book Into Context

    A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

    Publication date (2009)

    4.21 rating on Goodreads

    Seasonal setting - Summer

    Book Awards: Crimewriters of Canada Award for Excellence in 2009

    Critic Reviews

    Alternate Title: The Murder Stone

    Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

    9:25 - The Setup

    8:46 - A Deeper Exploration

    Setup and first paragraph

    Perfect prologue - sets us up for Manoir Bellechasse, but then chapter 1 goes back to Three Pines shortly

    An entire family of characters we as readers cannot really root for

    Mic drop moments

    Flimsy mystery, great building of suspense

    The pacing of the novel

    Quality of writing itself - last major action scene

    Themes: Rest, oppressive heat, paradise lost, prisons, things being unnatural, bravery in vulnerability

    The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

    Still Life by Louise Penny

    Character Development - Gamache’s misstep

    57:08 - What Do We Need to Know?

    History within the book as it pertains to reality

    The Oddness Factor

    1:07:11 - Superlatives

    Biggest Flaw

    Favorite Quote

    Character MVP

    Biggest loser

    Best food description

    1:22:37 - Within the Series

    Is this book skippable?

    Setting the foundation

    1:23:34 - SPOILERS AHEAD HERE

    Easter eggs to future books

    Next episode’s read: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

    Support Us:

    Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch

    Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon

    Bookish Friends Receive:

    The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December’s IPL will be a yearly recap from us, so we can give our beloved Indies a break for the holidays!

    Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry

    All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller

    The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts

    Connect With Us:

    The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Roxanna | Kaytee

    The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

    Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

  • We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.

    As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.

    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading.

    1:56 - The Set Up

    The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (one L simply due to demographic of readers? Please don’t fight me over this!)

    3:05 - Putting the Book Into Context

    Publication date

    Seasonal setting - Spring, around Easter

    Book Awards: Agatha Award for Best Novel in 2008, Nominated for: The Anthony Award, The Macavity Award and the Barry Award for Best Novel of 2008

    Critic Reviews

    Alternate Title: Cruelest vs Cruellest - that’s the only difference dependent on geographic location of publishing.

    Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

    Currently Reading Season 5: Episode 45 w/Ezeekat

    8:46 - A Deeper Exploration

    Setup and first few paragraphs

    A seance as the driving source of the mystery

    Still Life by Louise Penny

    One note character in Madeline/lack of care for her as a character

    Gamache not introduced until chapter 9

    Pg. 69 - Make note for future reads

    Gamache as a father and grandfather figure versus an inspector

    The pacing of the novel

    Quality of writing itself

    Themes: Regeneration, Resurrection and its unpredictability, jealousy, equanimity, grief, platonic love,

    Character Development - Gamache’s Pride, Beauvoir

    The Fear Factor

    55:58 - What Do We Need to Know?

    Village of Three Pines - The Hadley House, Hazel’s House

    A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

    Homes as a driver for the plot/characters

    The Oddness Factor

    Gamache’s accented English

    1:06:00 - Superlatives

    Favorite scene

    Character MVP

    Biggest loser

    Best food description

    1:16:32 - Within the Series

    Is this book skippable?

    Setting the foundation

    Favorite quote

    *Does the reading of passages take you out of the conversation or help enhance it? Let us know at the socials below!

    Next episode’s read: A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

    No Spoilers this episode!

    Connect With Us:

    Please note the change in Meredith’s Instagram handle. This was recorded prior to the change.

    Meredith is @meredithmondayschwartz on Instagram

    Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram

    Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram

    currentlyreadingpodcast.com

    @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

    [email protected]

    Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading

  • We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.

    As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.

    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading.

    2:02 - The Set Up

    A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

    3:34 - Putting the Book Into Context

    Publication date (mentioned that it is the last book pre-iPhone which comes into play later)

    The rating is higher on Audible than Goodreads, speaking to the quality of narration.

    Seasonal setting - Winter

    Book Awards: Agatha Award for Best Novel in 2007

    Critic Reviews

    Release date confusion

    Alternate Title: Dead Cold (Canadian title), TV Show on Amazon Prime titled this episode “Whiteout”

    Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

    9:37 - A Deeper Exploration

    First few paragraphs

    Still Life by Louise Penny

    Gamache is not introduced until chapter 8

    Immediate body shaming of CC’s daughter by CC herself

    The Oddness Factor

    P.148 highlighting the oddness of the murder

    The Canadian Perspective

    Exploration of art used in A Fatal Grace

    The pacing of the novel

    The Villagers and the Village itself

    Themes: Three Pines as a place of respite, Introspection and the acceptance of oneself, Light and Dark

    The comparison of CC, Peter and Clara Morrow

    Vulnerability and authenticity at superpowers

    Lack of small children belonging to main characters

    The Fear Factor

    46:57 - What Do We Need to Know?

    Village of Three Pines - The Bistro, The Hadley House

    How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

    Enneagram Corner

    Introduction to Arnoult

    1:00:22 - Superlatives

    Biggest flaw or disappointment

    Fat shaming and appearance shaming

    Favorite scene

    Character MVP

    Biggest loser

    Best food description

    Favorite quote

    1:20:44 - Within the Series

    Setting the table

    Favorite quote

    Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

    A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

    Next episode’s read: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

    No Spoilers this episode!

    Connect With Us:

    Please note the change in Meredith’s Instagram handle. This was recorded prior to the change.

    Meredith is @meredithmondayschwartz on Instagram

    Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram

    Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram

    currentlyreadingpodcast.com

    @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

    [email protected]

  • We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.


    As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.


    Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

    3:50 - The Set Up

    Still Life by Louise Penny

    4:40 - Putting the Book Into Context

    Louise Penny’s age at publication

    Publisher rejection

    Seasonal settings and Canadian Thanksgiving

    Book Awards: CNA New Blood Dagger Award, Arthur Ellis Award, Dilys Award, Anthony Award for Best First Novel

    The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

    Glass Houses by Louise Penny

    How did it sell

    Meredith and Roxanna’s first encounters with the series

    No other titles for this volume (but many do have alternates!)

    12:17 - A Deeper Exploration

    First few paragraphs

    Louise’s writing style and character introduction

    Our first meeting with Gamache

    Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

    The Oddness Factor

    Diagnosing the end

    Exploration of human nature

    Overarching themes

    Still Life and Still Lives

    Pacing

    Is this is a cozy?

    50:50 - What Do We Need to Know?

    Village of Three Pines

    Canadian History

    59:28 - Superlatives

    Biggest flaw or disappointment

    Language around LGBT characters and large bodies

    Favorite scene

    Best food description

    Character MVP

    Biggest loser

    Favorite foods

    1:12:23 - Within the Series

    Pivotal or skippable

    Favorite quote

    1:16:03 - Stop to Avoid Spoilers for Other Books

    How it Fits within the series

    Recurring visuals

    Ruth’s poetry

    Connect With Us:

    Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram

    Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram

    Roxanna is @roxannathereader on Instagram - This is NOT what it says in the episode. She got locked out between recording and drop day!

    currentlyreadingpodcast.com

    @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram

    [email protected]

    Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and

    www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading